Your first words
Essential vocabulary to start communicating in Mandarin Chinese.
Greetings
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 你好 | nǐ hǎo | Hello |
| 您好 | nín hǎo | Hello (respectful) |
| 早上好 | zǎoshang hǎo | Good morning |
| 晚上好 | wǎnshang hǎo | Good evening |
| 再见 | zàijiàn | Goodbye |
| 明天见 | míngtiān jiàn | See you tomorrow |
| 拜拜 | bàibài | Bye-bye |
Polite essentials
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 谢谢 | xièxie | Thank you |
| 不客气 | bù kèqi | You're welcome |
| 请 | qǐng | Please |
| 对不起 | duìbuqǐ | Sorry |
| 没关系 | méi guānxi | It's OK / No problem |
| 不好意思 | bù hǎo yìsi | Excuse me / Sorry |
Yes, no, and maybe
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 是 | shì | Yes (is/am/are) |
| 不是 | bù shì | No (is not) |
| 对 | duì | Correct |
| 不对 | bù duì | Incorrect |
| 好 | hǎo | Good / OK |
| 不好 | bù hǎo | Not good |
| 可能 | kěnéng | Maybe |
Asking for help
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 你会说英语吗？ | Nǐ huì shuō Yīngyǔ ma? | Do you speak English? |
| 我不懂 | Wǒ bù dǒng | I don't understand |
| 请再说一遍 | Qǐng zài shuō yí biàn | Please say it again |
| 慢一点 | Màn yìdiǎn | Slower |
| 这是什么？ | Zhè shì shénme? | What is this? |
| 怎么说...? | Zěnme shuō...? | How do you say...? |
Introducing yourself
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我叫... | Wǒ jiào... | My name is... |
| 我是... | Wǒ shì... | I am... |
| 你叫什么名字？ | Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? | What's your name? |
| 你是哪国人？ | Nǐ shì nǎ guó rén? | What country are you from? |
| 我是美国人 | Wǒ shì Měiguó rén | I'm American |
| 很高兴认识你 | Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ | Nice to meet you |
Numbers 1–10
| Number | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一 | yī |
| 2 | 二 | èr |
| 3 | 三 | sān |
| 4 | 四 | sì |
| 5 | 五 | wǔ |
| 6 | 六 | liù |
| 7 | 七 | qī |
| 8 | 八 | bā |
| 9 | 九 | jiǔ |
| 10 | 十 | shí |
Common expressions
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 你好吗？ | Nǐ hǎo ma? | How are you? |
| 很好 | Hěn hǎo | Very good |
| 还可以 | Hái kěyǐ | Not bad |
| 太好了 | Tài hǎo le | Great! |
| 没问题 | Méi wèntí | No problem |
| 干杯！ | Gānbēi! | Cheers! |
| 慢走 | Màn zǒu | Take care (to departing guest) |